At the beginning of the high season In Baja California Sur, two cruise ships arrived in the Bay of Cabo San Lucas with approximately six thousand tourists. To greet them was the municipal Director of Tourism Alejandro Bonilla Guerrero who said, “We are prepared to receive all those who choose Los Cabos as the ideal place to enjoy their vacations leaving the area with great economic benefits”

Likewise, the local Tourism representative informed that, the economic Benefits Are not Exclusively for tourism service providers, but also for local producers, who through the Directorate of Economic Development and Tourism sell regional products to tourists visiting the marina of Cabo San Lucas.

Similarly, at the CATAC offices, Tourism Coordinator Nohemi Romero Guzmán, provides guidance to visitors as well as support in any situation where tourists are involved.

Finally, in the rural area there is an information booths located in the “Tropic of Cancer” shopping plaza, there tourists are given information on Historical Sites In each and every one of the Delegations, as well as maps to  local Ecological reserves such as Sol de Mayo.

Translation by Tony Perez Dillon for Cabo News Today

The Eighth edition of Sabor a Cabo Rural, will take place on the eighth of December. 

Sabor a Cabo Rural announced this year’s format during an eventful press conference at Nick-San Palmilla, the gastronomic festival scheduled for the second Sunday in December at Sol de Mayo the Ecological Rancho in the town of Santiago.

Hostess Carmen Carbajal, a founding partner of Sabor a Cabo and currently President of Sabor a Cabo Rural was accompanied by Los Cabos Mayor Armida Castro Guzmán, Gustavo Laborde, president of CANIRAC Los Cabos, Gianmarco Vela president of Sabor a Cabo, Luis Alvarado and Alfonso Vazquez founding partners of Sabor a Cabo.

Carmen Carbajal stressed that they seeks to exalt traditional Mexican cuisine with this event:

 “It’s a lively cultural manifestation, with historical continuity and originality of products, techniques and procedures based on corn, chili and beans. Mexico is one of the few domestication centers for cultivated plants, there are only eight in the world. Only about six hundred different dishes have been documented with corn in Mexico.

Baja California Sur is considered a coastal territory, products from the sea are the favorites to use in the preparation of different recipes.

Each area of the peninsula has its regional dishes. In the central rural areas, red meat dishes stand out because livestock is one of the main economic activities.

The vast ancestral wealth of Mexican cuisine has gained prestige and arouses interest in preserving it generation after generation.

Currently there is interest to know more about Mexican cuisine, Sabor a Cabo Rural is the Showcase that allows you to know, prepare and taste it.

The objective of this year’s event is to include local producers and support their professionalization.

During this event, an agreement was signed lasting three years between the City Council of Los Cabos and Sabor a Cabo, A.C., which guarantees the continuity of the festival with the following objectives:

1. Benefit the inhabitants of rural communities.

2. Spread the culture of the municipality.

3. Spread the projection of the natural wealth of the sea.

4. Publicize our vast organic crops.

5. Highlight the value of tourist attractions for lovers of alternative tourism.

6. Boost the economic development of rural areas.

Sabor a Cabo Rural will have one more challenge this year, to be an event responsible to the environment, to achieve this, 1,500 attendees were asked to use their own utensils: plates, glasses and cutlery. In addition, it was emphasized that the funds raised from the sale of the admission tickets will be donated to the municipal DIF.

Tickets are already on sale at Nick-San Cabo San Lucas and Nick-San Palmilla from Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm. Also at the Tourist Office in San José del Cabo, from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 3pm and CATAC in Cabo San Lucas, from Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm.

Cost per ticket: Adults $1000 | Children under 12 years$ 500

For Cabo News Today Tony Perez

In Cabo San Lucas, the 16th edition of the world championship of the so-called sport-science took place… the domino.

Sergio Aréchiga, Organizer in Los Cabos: "... there were about 385 players, from 13, 1 country that failed us, 13 countries were present and people from 19 states of the country ..."

This hobby was invented almost a thousand years ago.

Manuel Oquendo, Pdte. International Federation of Dominó: "... was originated in China and was brought by the Spaniards to the Caribbean ... and has been integrated into the whole world ..."

In Mexico, the language of dominoes that begins with the famous “soup” is very peculiar since the qualifiers and phrases are already classic.

Rafael Sabalza   Participant Mexico: "He who does not block does not win", "always go out with the oldest" ... "the domino invented a deaf mute", "the soda box, the mother-in-law to the mule of 4's, the father-in-law to the mule of 5 ' Yes, the soda box of 6's, the heaviest to the white one because, since it has no holes, that is the heaviest ...

 José Salcido, Pdte Asociación de Sinaloa: "Agustín Melgar, died for the homeland when they throw a mule that hang her ..."

Surely in Russia the same thing happens:

The format was of couples who are not from the same country or team thus avoiding possible "complicities" at the time of departure. The one who reaches 200 points first wins.

Representing Mexico, the Sinaloa team took first place.

José Salcido, Pdte Asociación de Sinaloa: "Here we come to the championship, Mexico ... second place Puerto Rico and third place Venezuela ..."

Armando Carrara, Pdte. Federation of Dominoes in Mexico: "... the truth makes us proud because as a team I think that since 2004 I had not won Mexico ..."

Teams like the United States, Puerto Rico, Azerbaijan, Russia, Panama, Aruba, Brazil, Curzao, among others, coexisted in 3 days of games of great concentration.

Lucien Gil, Aruba player: "... you have to think a lot, you have to think a lot, it's a part of this game ..."

52 women also participated who stood out in good positions in the final table.

Manuel Oquendo, Pdte Dominó Intl. Federation ... here are two factors: here there is luck and knowledge, because there are the chips that you touch, no ?, but yes, it is the sport of science ... "

For Los Cabos this event left an important economic spill in a week in which players and companions enjoyed this tourist center.

For Cabo News Today Tony Perez

This Thursday in the main hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casoubón and the Secretary of the Federal Tourism Miguel Torruco Marqués, presided over the creation of the Council of tourism diplomacy of Mexico.

In the words of its new Managing Director, Ignacio Cabrera Fernández "this Council is a collegiate body which will be an instance of views and consultation for the planning, design and implementation of strategies of promotion and image of Mexico at the level International"

How will this Council operates

To in less than 60 days will meet a group composed of a President, advisers (28), Councillors, advisors and a technical Secretary. In addition a program will be established to integrate and train 80 ambassadors, 67 consuls and 7 diplomatic missions on matters related to the tourist promotion of Mexico and in the face of foreign crisis management.

Among other functions, this Council must define activities and work plan to develop the tourism of Mexico.

It will generate strategies with programming, monitoring of results and evaluation of results.

Strengthen the tourist image of Mexico abroad highlighting the quality, diversity and authenticity of its attractions.

Funding for its implementation

In terms of the budget for these programs, the Secretary Ebrard said that they get "of the savings that we have, with the resources that we have. We will have to define how we will project the image of Mexico, because today we lack many materials at the embassies, today do we lack many things that we can work with you, image, prestige, projection of Mexico We are going to do it with what we have."

As representative of the tourism business sector of Mexico, José Chapur Chairman Palace, said some suggestions (full speech attached) to this new Council which starts today in which highlights a program of public relations for the management of crisis is the sargaso in the Caribbean Mexican or what could be the effects of the weather, insecurity and other similar cases.

He also pointed out that hosting platforms are no longer pay more than 6 billion pesos for taxes on income and VAT (figure to the more than 7 billion pesos that were received by the right of non-resident, DNR , and which now are aiming to the construction of the Maya railway.

He also said cruise ships to pay for rights of 5 to 60 dollars per passenger in the Caribbean but not in Mexico, where rights are zero.

Members of the Council's tourism diplomacy

The 28 designated directors include the following: Dario fleet manager of the trust tourist of Quintana Roo; Giancarlo Molinelli, VP Global sales, Aeromexico; Rodrigo Esponda, Director of Los Cabos tourist trust; Juan Vela Ruiz, Vice President of the Group sails; Francisco Bulnes, President of the Sol Group; Miguel German Magnani, President of the German group (GALEM); José Manuel López Campos, President of the CONCANACO; Daniel Chavez Moran, President Grupo Vidanta; Juan José Fernández Carrillo, President of the Association of hotels and motels; Pablo Azcárraga Andrade, President Grupo Posadas and CENET (tourist business National Council); Francisco Fernández Alonso of CANIRAC, and; José Chapur, President of the Palace Group, among other prominent representatives of the tourism industry.

The federal Secretary of tourism, Miguel Torruco Marques said that 18.2 million of international tourists arrived in the first five months of 2019 which represents a 5.9% more than in the same period of 2018, with an income of $10,110 billion as that means an increase of 15.4% in 2018, with average spending per tourist of $958.6 dollars representing 14% more than in 2018.

He noted that follow this trend is estimated to close 2019 with 43.3 million international tourists mean it an increase of 4.7% more than 2018. with an economic impact of $23,600 million, 10.6% more than in 2018.

He stressed that "despite the negative forecasts of our adversaries, the tourism of our country not collapsed, conversely, walking with firm step..."

He also said that in the two previous six spent $35 billion pesos in the Tourism Board of Mexico.

In charge of programs and training and professionalization to the diplomatic corps that start in August carried out by the Institute of tourism competitiveness of SECTUR in coordination with the Matías Romero Institute of the SRE (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Information by Armando Figaredo

Translation Tony Perez Dillon.